Prepositions | 123Read&Write

What are prepositions? Prepositions and prepositional phrases are able to make phrases in writing utilizing nouns and pronouns. This page offers preposition practice activities, and a schoolhouse rock video.

I still have bad dreams about having to memorize the entire prepositional word list in elementary school. However, as a writer today, I've come to understand the vital importance of prepositions within a sentence. So, what are prepositions? Prepositions utilize nouns and pronouns to make a phrase (i.e. prepositional phrase). Then, they connect these phrases with the remaining portion of the sentence. While not an exact science, the prepositions (as writers) we likely use most often are: at, by, for, from, in, of, on, to, and with.

While, not a complete list, the spreadsheet below will show the more common prepositions utilized in writing.

Prepositional Phrases (prepositions followed by a noun or pronoun) are able to modify nouns, verbs, and adjectives within a sentence. It's important to remember that prepositional phrases will always have an object being modified. See below for some examples of prepositional phrases.

1. Above the clouds, the sky remained blue.

2. The wind howled during the night.

3. The grumpy, old troll lived under the bridge.

Preposition Practice

Read the sentences below. See if you can find the prepositional phrase in each one. Remember, the prepositional phrase will start with a preposition and will be followed by a noun or pronoun (often with an article separating the two). Articles = a, an, the

Example: Above the clouds, the sky remained blue.

Preposition - Above

Article - the

Noun - clouds

1. Can you put the cookies on the tray?

Preposition -

Article -

Noun -

2. Put the dog inside the house.

Preposition -

Article -

Noun -

3. At a minimum, you should practice your instrument an hour per night.